DATO’ THIAGARAJAN K.R. ARUMUGAM

Musician

Dato’ Thiagarajan is better known as David Arumugam, one of the founding members of legendary Malaysian band, Alleycats. The band rose to prominence in the 70s and grew in reputation with their chart-making hits right up to the 2000s.

Alleycats was unique in that it was a multi-ethnic band singing in Malay, a direction that was envisioned and steadfastly adhered to by David and his younger brother Logan. In their heyday, their broad fan base saw packed-out stadiums made up of every spectrum of Malaysian and Southeast Asian society. Alleycats’ hits have become classics that still play over the airwaves today. David sang and played percussion for the band.

David and Loga’s love for music was inherited. Their mother, a former radio announcer and Carnatic classical singer would often bring them along to her performances and the brothers’s love for music soon grew, naming their band Alleycats because the alley behind the brothers’ house in Penang was filled with strays.

The band soon signed on with Philips Polygram Records with their first record being Terimakasih in 1979. Since then, the band has recorded 26 albums produced by various music legends including M. Nasir, Eddy Marzuki and Eric Yeoh. Their music career spawned a number of classics including Andainya Aku Pergi Dulu, Suara Kekasih, Setahun Sudah Berlalu, and Sampaikan Salam Cintaku. The band signed with Universal Music from the year 2000. 

David’s signature ‘Terimakasih’ concert signoff with the ‘sih’ stretched, have become the stuff of legend, entering into the daily lexicon for some and finding new audiences who use it on Tik Tok. 

David was conferred the Darjah Indera Mahkota Pahang (DIMP) award which carries the title of " Dato' " in conjunction with the Sultan of Pahang's 78th birthday on 24 October 2008. That same year, he was awarded Johan Setia Mahkota Malaysia (J.S.M) of which only 800 living recipients are conferred annually.